The invention relates to toothbrushes and bristles for use in toothbrushes.
Most people suffer from tooth decay and/or gingivitis caused by plaque in the mouth. As a result, reducing the amount of plaque in the mouth has long been the target of persons working in the health care field. A common way of minimizing plaque is to brush the teeth regularly.
Toothbrushes are available having bristles with varying degrees of stiffness, commonly labelled "soft", "medium" and "hard". According to industry standards, such toothbrushes have stiffnesses, as measured by ISO 8627 (1987), of less than 7 centinewtons per square millimeter (cN/mm.sup.2, soft), 6 to 9 cN/mm.sup.2 (medium), and greater than 8 cN/mm.sup.2 (hard). Soft brushes are comfortable to use, and minimize trauma and irritation of the gums. Typically, however, better cleaning is provided by stiffer, i.e., medium to hard, brushes.